thoughts on a sunday morning

first of all, thank you to everyone who came over to watch the ufc matches last night. i had a great time. and, i'm glad some of you stuck around because i think we had about as good a time playing catch phrase.

thanks to adam & eleanore for hanging out with heather, who didn't want to watch the fight.

overall, i thought the ufc package was pretty good. i wouldn't say that i am some sort of huge fan, but if there are compelling match ups, i'm interested. i've watched the ufc reality show, and the matches usually seem to go the distance there. and, i've watched a few of the ppv's in the last 4 or so years. in the ppv's, it seems like either the fights have been: boring, with little action; or stopped too early. last night's ppv was neither. lots of first round ko's and tko's. i think we were all a bit surprised to see all of the first round finishes. this is especially true since many of us had watched the ppv that featured ortiz/shamrock & orlofsky/some guy. that ppv was filled with drawn out matches and the quick stop in the ortiz match.

as for the main event, i thought it was enjoyable and it was the result i had expected. however, i do think that the ref was wrong to stop it when he did. ortiz had been in a worse position in the first round and it wasn't stopped. in the third round, yes, liddel was pounding away, but tito was blocking. and, when it was stopped, liddel seemed to be tiring and ortiz was about to make a move. so why stop it there? liddel was dominant, and i think he would have still won, but i also think that ortiz was prepared to go to the fourth or even fifth rounds. had it gone five, ortiz may have been able to submit liddel.

like i said, it was a good match. i hope we all had a good time watching.

so, right now, i'm watching football. sadly, my beloved rams were eliminated from a playoff spot, but they're still playing well today. i'm also loving that the cowboys are getting punked at home right now. the savior of football, romo, has looked very pedestrian. as much as i enjoy watching football, i have really enjoyed watching it while also monitoring my fantasy team. unfortunately, i had a really poor showing in my first fantasy playoff game, and was dispatched to the consolation bracket. it really stinks because i would have won the semifinal game, and would be up big in the championship right now (thank you steven jackson). instead, i am playing for 5th place. dang. oh well. that's how it happens.

finally, tonight is new years. i hope we all have a good, safe time.

newsflash

saddam hussein is dead. i guess we don't have to worry about any more 9/11 style terrorist attacks. what's that you say? hussein had nothing to do with 9/11? huh.

well, at least this will stop the war in iraq. right?

deyoung before new years

so, we enjoyed our time with justin in town from seattle. not that we haven't also enjoyed seeing other out of towners (johnsons, widlunds) or other in towners we haven't seen as frequently (portelas, castros, fosters) or the ones we see often (adam, woodys). we finished our whirlwind Xmas week with two road trips. the first was to bakersfield to meet up with the johnsons. we had some super grub, even if we arrived way late. hey, things happen. but it was good to see scott & malisa, as well as emily, although her appearance for us was brief. just a bit between bath & bed. we also got to see our chums the woody w/little georgia, the ogdens (damn, i should know their child's name, i know we got an announcement and other stuff like that. i admit, my bad) and julie. sadly, no dana. but we did see doug. yep, doug is still as tall as he was, although malisa couldn't believe it.

today, we rolled up to sf to see the deyoung museum. nice drive, went up through gilroy & hit up the outlets. got some new golf shoes (great deal, and i purchased my current pair over 6 yrs ago, they're pretty beat). we then hit the city. the museum was really nice. it's brand spankin new, so i think this may explain the large crowds. it's really big, and lots of nice stuff.

after the museum, we went down haight street and found some nice little place for dinner. we walked around a few streets and headed home.

(for some reason, blogger's not wanting me to upload photos right now. i'll try again tomorrow. the post will be a lot more comprehensive with photos & explanations.)

liddel ortiz 2

saturday dec 30 liddel vs ortiz 2. watch the iceman lay a beating on ortiz

uncensored Xmas song

it seems that nbc actually has a youtube account, and they posted the uncensored version of this song. don't watch it if you're going to take offense to a euphemism.

hello neighbor

for those of you aficionados of stuffonmycat.com, check this out.

soup there it is

some may remember a great sketch on snl called omeletville. well timberlake was on snl again last weekend, and delivered this hit. also watch the boy band spoof they do after about Xmas

it's not comfy, but it looks sweet.

"Furniture is no longer aesthetics' stepchild,"

quite an interesting quote. justin and adam may find particular interest in this article. e may find interst as well, because it's about her hood, you know, mijamies.

searching for terms and Xmas gifts

wow, i've been getting a ton of hits for this phrase lately: chicken pot chicken pot chicken pot pie. i guess a lot of david cross fans are looking for stuff on him. nothing here to see. that is, unless you watch the video of him & johnny marr spoofing the bofa u2 rip off.

hopefully an art update soon, other than my rogue links that i included.

today, i did some Xmas shopping. no, i probably didn't get you that gift your heart has been desiring. but, i did buy some stuff for myself. heather's parents, as well as one set of her grandparents, gave us $ to buy our gifts, and then we have to bring them over for Xmas all wrapped up. so, i had been thinking about what i wanted, pricing some stuff, and finally went out an made a purchase. i'm wearing it right now. can you guess what it is?

rogue 2007

hey, i've got some upcoming shows. the first will be january @ tower mosaic for art hop. at least one new piece.

the next will be:


i've also added a link in my sidebar for the rogue festival, right under my fresno famous blog link.

nfl picks week 15

ummm, well, no more picks. frankly, i'm tired of doing it. i was picking somewhere around 50%, but that's not why i'm giving it up. i'm bored, and don't want to do it this week. so there.

and, since no one really ever commented, i doubt that anyone actually cared who i was picking.

some quick thoughts

today, i happened to catch part of the 40 greatest metal songs on vh1 classic rock. pretty dang good special. made me want to throw on some anthrax. or to get a few marilyn manson songs.

then, i was checking out some on demand and i noticed that they currently have all 5 rocky movies in the free movie section. dang i love rocky 3. i didn't have time to watch any today, but i think i'll be tuning in tomorrow.

oh, and i got to take a nap today. it was awesome.

quick pick

seattle is a 10 point favorite tonight. i think they'll beat sf, but not by that much. i pick sf & the points

shheeeesssssh.

so, last night was i ranting to heather about how my students never read directions. they turn in assignments that bare very little ressemblance to what i have asked them to complete. for one of my more recent assignments, i worked through the diretions several times at home, making sure that it was completely clear what i wanted and did not want.

surprise! a significant portion of my classes still just did whatever they thought they should do. i was so frustrated that i kept scratching my head and i had a headache.

which brings us to today. i was speaking to a co-worker (ok, it was my mom, but still, she's a coworker) about the hours that i get paid for compared to the amount of time i actually work. yeah, it's the complaint of every teacher. i know. i know. anyway, i was complaining about how i'm supposed to do more work than they actually pay me for, and that is why i hadn't done some of the more administrative tasks. she pointed out that i was supposed to be getting paid for two more hours than i had thought.

you see, my last teaching assignment was for one class. this worked out to eleven hours a week. so, when i was given two classes during this term, i just doubled that eleven to twenty two hours. it all made sense. but, the school, in it's infinite wisdom actually gives you more hours because they know you've got more work to do. i trotted down to the administrative assistant's office to verify that i was supposed to be working twenty four. yep. twenty four.

fortunately, there has only been one pay period that should have reflected this amount. and, it was only one week. so, i screwed myself out of two hours, i'll live with it. and, in my defense, they hadn't returned my copy of my updated contract that stated how many hours i was supposed to work.

of course, i did sign the freakin contract that said exactly how many hours i was supposed to work and get paid for. read the directions. read the details. after all, it's what you expect from you class.

Merry Xmash

heather was telling me about jay's scrubs/charlie brown mash up. here's a link for some more.

flyer - dec 15th event

here's the flyer for the event i thought was last week. but it's really this week. and, it's a benefit for food not bombs.

"damn, the boys won"*

congrats to heather. she picked the winners of the amazing race. my team finished 4th (booted last week). mike's team, well they were out a while ago.



*this is what the 2nd place team said as they were running up to the finish line.

i'll punch you in the ear

something to plan on
what are you doing dec 30th?
if you're in fresno, i think i'll be watching
this

want to come?

and, the next day is new years eve.

this may sum it up

toothpastefordinner.com

bad news

well this is a real kick in the pants. or, maybe a blow to the ego.

nfl picks week 14

crap. last week was bad. i went 6-10. the rams lost terribly. my fantasy team lost terribly. let's hope week 14 is a reversal of trends.

game-----------------------------me-------------sg----------sg's wife
Steelers (-7.5) vs Browns------browns-------browns-------browns
Ravens (+3) vs CHIEFS----------chiefs-------ravens-------chiefs
Falcons (-3) vs BUCS-----------falcons------falcons------falcons
Vikings (+1.5) vs LIONS--------vikings------vikings------vikings
Titans (+1.5) vs TEXANS--------titans-------titans-------titans
Saints (+6.5) vs COWBOYS-----saints-------saints-------cowboys
Bills (+3.5) vs JETS---------------jets---------bills--------bills
JAGS (+1.5) vs Colts--------------colts--------jags---------jags
REDSKINS (+1) vs Eagles-------eagles-------redskins-----eagles
Giants (+3) vs PANTHERS-----giants-------giants-------giants
BENGALS (-11) vs Raiders-----bengals------bengals------bengals
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs Pats-----patriots-----dolphins-----patriots
49ERS (-4) vs Packers----------49ers--------49ers--------49ers
Seahawks (-3.5) vs CARDS-----seahawks----seahawks---seahawks
CHARGERS (-7) vs Broncos----chargers-----chargers-----broncos
Bears (-6) vs RAMS-------------bears---------bears-------bears

last week----------------------6-10-------------9-7-----------8-8
season------------------------93-99-------------92-95-6-------96-90-6
so, i hate picking against the rams. but, frankly, their special teams are terrible. guess what, the bears score frequently on special teams. that's not good.

want to come along?

hey hey, if you're interested, post art hop show @ tokyo. usually kicks off around ten. i get there a little bit after because i work until 10:20ish.

tomorrow night- people vs. john lennon @ tower theater.
tomorrow night - there's a show @ starline. i'm thinking about going after the movie.

quick pick

just to throw it out there, before i do my actual football picks, there's a thursday night game. my paper has pittsburgh as a 7.5 point fav over cleveland. i'm taking cleveland and the points.

full picks tomorrow.

scary mary

i saw this trailer and was frightened. this seems like a great one to hide under a blanket while watching on the couch.

"chicken pot chick pot chicken pot pie"

so, on the old show just shoot me there was a reoccuring character that frequently said that line. he was elliot's brother who had fallen out of a tree or something like that, and was then mentally challenged. the character was also my introduction to the hilarity of david cross.

well, here's one better. or worse. i'm not sure.


breaking news - crap. i just learned that not only did jason schmidt sign with the evil that is the dodgers, jt snow is retiring, and it doesn't look like klinsmann will be the next u.s. soccer coach. crap.

video mash up

so, i didn't see one of these movies, and i thought the other was a piece of crap. warning, this vid contains some swear words.

you were always on my mind

i didn't forget about you. i know, i haven't posted anything new in five days. hey, i've been a little busy. and a little tired. i also went out of town briefly and visited some people.

i know, these are just excuses. but, i assure you that i wouldn't take you out of my links because you didn't update in a week. now, if you wait two months in between updates, yeah, you're getting pulled.

i've thought about things to discuss here, i just haven't gotten around to it. my daily bus ride home for work provides time to read the newspaper. weird, reading a physical newspaper again. but, on the bus, they're half price, so i've been trying to get one. something to read while listen to music. there have been a few stories that i wanted to talk about in the past few days, but now i've gotten rid of those papers and i don't remember what they were. have no fear, i read the paper today. i saw these great stories (since i read them in an actual newspaper there are no links):

- a guy in clovis burned down his house. he had 650 Xmas lights all plugged into the same exterior outlet. the outlet shorted and started a fire.

- madison, wi apologized to a blind rape victim. five years ago, a lady alleged that an intruder raperd her at knife point. the police didn't believe it, and even charged her with lying. dna has recently connected the case to a sex offender. the city apologized and is offering her 35k. uhhh, was her story that shaky that they didn't believe her word, even though they had dna evidence? what, she's not credible at determining whether or not she was raped because she couldnt' see the attacker?

- your congress is hard at work. sorta. they are trying to get out of dodge before passing a bunch of spending bills. so, if you had some sort of federal funding pledged, you're probably not going to get it. but, they are actually working to repair your habeas corpus rights. now, i could theoretically disappear for saying this, but the decider (and the last congress) allowed laws to pass that said you, yes you, could be detained indefinately without access to courts or even being charged. hopefully they'll decide to return the rights given to us in the constitution of the freakin united states.

- they captured a half ton croc in indonesia. uhhhh, half ton? 1000 friggin lbs? yikes. why am i not surprised that this ginormous croc had 2 hands, a leg and a pair of shorts in it's stomach?

- speaking of animal stories, a lady in nipomo got bit by a bat. that bat came into her house via a Xmas tree that she bought @ a tree lot. it had been spray painted white (or flocked, whatever you want to call it) @ the tree lot, and it bit her while she was decorating. at first she thought that she scratched her self on the needles, but saw the bat chilling out on her wall the next morning.

oooh, i remembered one of the other stories. the ny police shooting. the injured people say that they never had any weapons, the alleged 4th person that the police claim had a gun doesn't exist, and they say the uncover officers never identified themselves. surprise! we'll keep watching this story, but this sure seems very similar to what i predicted would be said.

-another story coming back to me now was that the new president of mexico is taking a pay cut, and will cut salaries to most of his cabinet. that had been a pledge of his opposition, but he decided to also do it. that's cool. also, hugo chavez was re-elected in venezuela


i hope that's enough for the moment. i'm going to take a nap. and maybe i'll have a another post this afternoon.

a video for heather

do you know who this is?

more aids thoughts

i saw this and thought it was a good connection to my previous post about world aids day.

sit ins may work where bombs don't

keep your eye on this story in the coming days, weeks, months. hezbollah is staging a sit in. can their peaceful protest topple the government of lebanon? and, if it does, how will the u.s. respond?

football picks week 13

game---------------------------------me------------sg--------------sg's wife
BENGALS (-3) vs Ravens---------ravens---------bengals--------bengals
Vikings (+9)vs BEARS------------vikings--------vikings----------bears
STEELERS (-7)vs Buccaneers----steelers-------steelers---------bucs
Cardinals (+6.5)vs RAMS----------cardinals------cardinals-----rams
TITANS (+7.5)vs Colts-------------colts----------cardinals-------colts
DOLPHINS (PK)vs Jags------------dolphins-------dolphins-----jags
49ers (+7)vs SAINTS---------------saints---------49ers----------49ers
Falcons (+1)vs REDSKINS---------falcons--------falcons---------redskins
BROWNS (+5)vs Chiefs------------chiefs---------browns----------browns
Jets (-1)vs PACKERS----------------packers--------jets-----------jets
PATRIOTS (-13.5)vs Lions----------patriots-------patriots------patriots
BILLS (+6)vs Chargers-------------chargers-------bills------------chargers
Cowboys (-3.5)vs GIANTS---------cowboys--------cowboys------giants
Texans (+3)vs RAIDERS------------texans---------texans---------raiders
BRONCOS (-3)vs Seahawks--------broncos--------broncos-------seahawks
Panthers (-3)vs EAGLES------------eagles---------panthers------eagles

last week-----------------------------10-6-----------12-4-------------11-5
season--------------------------------87-89----------84-87-6-------88-82-6

that's right folks. my blog goes from thinking about world aids day to sports picks. also, the cinci/balt game was already played, but, being an honest guy, i tell you that i would have picked the ravens. and the points were in their favor. but they already lost it for me.

World Aids Day

today is a special day. it's not Xmas, it's not thanksgiving. today is world aids day.

what was your fist memory relating to aids? was it magic johnson admitting that he was hiv + and everyone was worried how this would affect his basketball career?

i don't think that magic was the first time i thought of it, but it probably was one of the things that did open my eyes to the disease. i also remember being in junior high and high school and having such stupid ideas about the disease. seeing signs that joked about aids and homosexuality and thinking they were funny. or hearing about rock stars that i "followed" wearing shirts that mocked the disease. it's not a perspective that i held on to very long, and for that i'm glad.

maybe when we were all being exposed to it, we all had stupid ideas. there was so much misinformation. no one really knew how big it would get. was it a flash in the pan or would this disease stick around and change everything. sadly, it seems like it's more of the latter and less of the former. relatively soon, it'll be the 3rd leading cause of death in the world.

we have to keep learning, and changing our preception of this disease. we have to keep fighting it. those that are infected need treatment. the rest of us, we need education and prevention. we also need empathy for the growing world populus that will pass away from this preventable fate.

i don't know exactly what to do. but, hey, why not check out product red, or one.org?